reception@heathandreachvets.co.uk

Terms and Conditions

WELCOME

You have decided to trust Heath and Reach Veterinary Surgery with the care of your pet. Thankyou. We ask that you read this carefully to ensure we can do our best for you. By registering with the surgery you hereby agree to these terms and conditions.

FEES

All fees are payable at time of consultation or, when in-patient treatment is involved, when you collect your pet from the practice. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on case and according to drugs, materials and consumables used. A detailed fee note is available on request. Certain procedures may require a deposit to be paid before treatment can commence. All fees are subject to VAT at the current rate

WAYS TO PAY

We accept the following payment methods:

•CASH

•CREDIT/DEBIT CARD

•BACS – Contact us for details

When paying by BACS, please use your client number (ask reception) as the payment reference.

ESTIMATES

We are happy to provide estimates for any treatment that has been advised for your pet. Please note a full assessment of the extent and nature of the problem may not be possible until the procedure is underway. You should therefore view your estimate as an approximate cost. The final figure may be higher. We will do our best to keep you informed of additionally costs. However, our priority is the care of your pet.

CREDIT ACCOUNTS

Organisations may, in specific circumstances (e.g. registered charities), apply for a credit account. We expect these to be settled within 28 days of invoicing.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

If you fail to pay at the agreed time you will be expected to complete a “Failure to Pay Agreement”. Refusal to sign this document means you are in breach of our terms & conditions. If your account is not settled within 10 days of the due date, a reminder will be sent with an additional accounting fee in respect of administration costs incurred. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, further charges will be incurred. After due notice to you “the client”, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt: production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits, etc. Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, credit card payment not honoured and any counterfeit cash tendered will result in account being restored to original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs on the principle sum.

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

Heath and Reach Vets supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Ask reception for details. Please note it is your responsibility to settle the bill and then reclaim the fees from your insurance company. We will only process direct claims where the costs exceed a threshold determined by the practice. When a direct claim is agreed all claims are subject to an administration fee. Ask reception for details.

SUPPLY OF MEDICINES

If you wish, instead of us supplying drugs ourselves, we can issue you with a prescription for drugs to be dispensed by a third party. A fee will be charged for each prescription provided. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 3 months. The standard charge for re-examination applies.

MEDICINE RETURNS

The practice does not accept the return of medicines for credit, refund or swap. There may be a charge for disposal of returned medicines.

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS

Please see our privacy policy for more infomation.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

Our out of hours service is provided by a 3rd party. Please ask reception for details.

COMPLIMENTS, COMMENTS OR COMPLAINTS

For any of the above please feel free to send an email to reception@heathandreachvets.co.uk or a letter to Heath and Reach Veterinary Surgery, Brickhill Road, Heath and Reach, Beds, LU7 0BA for the attention of The Practice Manager.

VARIATIONS IN TERMS OF TRADING

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice principles. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.

AMENDMENT OF TERMS

We may, at any time, revise these terms. A copy of our current terms will be available on our website or, on request, from reception.